c-ya
Forum rules
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
- OriginalJambo
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2560
- Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:04 am
- Gear: Check my sig
- Location: Scotland, United Kingdom
Re: synths in the cold......
I'm in the same situation as you now that I've moved a s**t load of my gear to another premises. At first the room wasn't heated and I didn't have much trouble but now that the nights are getting much colder I've installed a few heaters. One night I forgot to leave the heaters on the anti-freeze setting and stupidly left it for another day.
As the temperature outside was really plummeting I decided to go check all the gear was okay. First thing I powered on was the Polysix. Now all the LEDs usually flash briefly when you hit the power switch, but for some reason they stayed illuminated and nothing seemed to work! I panicked and then phoned my synth tech who told me it'd either be a power supply issue or a panel scanning issue. Fortunately he also mentioned that when he gigged his old Memorymoog it would refuse to work if the conditions weren't acceptable, so severely hoping (and doubting!) this would be the case I rushed it home.
I stuck it in the most well-heated room in the house for about 2 hours and had a look inside. Nothing seemed out of place so I crossed my fingers and powered it up. Thankfully I was extremely lucky - it fired up as if nothing had happened and one of the patch buttons that never seemed to work had somehow miraculously fixed itself.
Anyway, I went back and powered up the rest of the gear - a DX7, a JX-10 and a V-Synth. And the rack gear too. No problems whatsoever.
So based on my experience if it's a fragile, old synth I seriously wouldn't recommend it - my Polysix is now safe at home, as is the rest of my analogue gear. Sure in this instance it was likely some sort of safety net KORG had implemented in the unit that caused it to seize up, but I'd still say that you should avoid it if possible!
As the temperature outside was really plummeting I decided to go check all the gear was okay. First thing I powered on was the Polysix. Now all the LEDs usually flash briefly when you hit the power switch, but for some reason they stayed illuminated and nothing seemed to work! I panicked and then phoned my synth tech who told me it'd either be a power supply issue or a panel scanning issue. Fortunately he also mentioned that when he gigged his old Memorymoog it would refuse to work if the conditions weren't acceptable, so severely hoping (and doubting!) this would be the case I rushed it home.
I stuck it in the most well-heated room in the house for about 2 hours and had a look inside. Nothing seemed out of place so I crossed my fingers and powered it up. Thankfully I was extremely lucky - it fired up as if nothing had happened and one of the patch buttons that never seemed to work had somehow miraculously fixed itself.
Anyway, I went back and powered up the rest of the gear - a DX7, a JX-10 and a V-Synth. And the rack gear too. No problems whatsoever.
So based on my experience if it's a fragile, old synth I seriously wouldn't recommend it - my Polysix is now safe at home, as is the rest of my analogue gear. Sure in this instance it was likely some sort of safety net KORG had implemented in the unit that caused it to seize up, but I'd still say that you should avoid it if possible!
Last edited by OriginalJambo on Thu Dec 17, 2009 2:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Z
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 3545
- Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:08 am
- Gear: Bubble wrap, Styrofoam, boxes, packing tape
- Location: Docking Bay 94 (Dallas, TX)
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
I was going to ask a similar question. I've got a couple of Rhodes sitting in my warehouse and Texas temps are now getting low. I really don't have room to move them into one of my offices (my fellow Dallas VSErs can attest to my limited office space cluttered with synths), but could make room if it is a life or death issue for the pianos.
- Old Iron Giant
- Active Member
- Posts: 385
- Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 6:18 am
- Gear: Virus Ti2, Indig2, EmuXL7, Microkorg.
- Band: KHz+
- Location: Far Side of the moon
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
check your user manual-
It should tell you the optimum temperatures for operation, and the damage point of High / Low temp's.
Humidity is the enemy.
It should tell you the optimum temperatures for operation, and the damage point of High / Low temp's.
Humidity is the enemy.
Re: synths in the cold......
will do. thanks...
Re: synths in the cold......
pointless tread now
Last edited by blanik on Fri Dec 18, 2009 11:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
- pflosi
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 3620
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:14 pm
- Gear: more than 150 characters...
- Location: zürich
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
a mate told me once that he used to put his 303 in the freezer before recording cause it sounds better then 

-
- Expert Member
- Posts: 1047
- Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:12 am
Re: synths in the cold......

Last edited by clubbedtodeath on Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
- TrondC
- Supporting Member!
- Posts: 1280
- Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:47 am
- Gear: Machinedrum UW & Monomachine Mk2's
Korg KP3 & Zero 4 - Band: Siesta Submarina
Re: synths in the cold......
totally OT, but Old Iron Giant, that avatar... W T F?
I love japaneese utter randomness 


- stephen
- Active Member
- Posts: 698
- Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:04 pm
- Gear: Laptop
House Brick
Renoise
Loomer Aspect
FM8 - Location: UK
Re: c-ya
This is weird.... someone quits and then there's some weather talk....
Edit: oh wait, looks like a wrong-thread post. Oops... (exit stage left, whistling nonchalantly)
Edit: oh wait, looks like a wrong-thread post. Oops... (exit stage left, whistling nonchalantly)
Stephen(2)
- space6oy
- Moderator
- Posts: 5401
- Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:29 am
- Gear: vimpat, citalopram & vitamin D.
- Location: stuck in ohio.
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
TrondC wrote:totally OT, but Old Iron Giant, that avatar... W T F?I love japaneese utter randomness
- Stab Frenzy
- Moderator
- Posts: 9723
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:41 pm
- Gear: Eurorack, RYTM, Ultranova, many FX
- Location: monster island*
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
I wonder how he found that out in the first place?pflosi wrote:a mate told me once that he used to put his 303 in the freezer before recording cause it sounds better then
Re: c-ya
Was the OP embarrassed by his question or something?
Did someone attack him in the thread?
Why so many edits and the "c-ya, I'm out" thing? I'm confused...

Did someone attack him in the thread?
Why so many edits and the "c-ya, I'm out" thing? I'm confused...

.....i have some things that create and sculpt sound.
- pflosi
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 3620
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:14 pm
- Gear: more than 150 characters...
- Location: zürich
- Contact:
Re: synths in the cold......
I don't know... good questionStab Frenzy wrote:I wonder how he found that out in the first place?pflosi wrote:a mate told me once that he used to put his 303 in the freezer before recording cause it sounds better then

- tekkentool
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 3218
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:51 am
- Real name: Steve
- Gear: Lasers (ส้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้ ωส้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้้)
- Band: none currently
- Location: Sydney, australia.(I moved)
Re: synths in the cold......
my guess is he was high.pflosi wrote:I don't know... good questionStab Frenzy wrote:I wonder how he found that out in the first place?pflosi wrote:a mate told me once that he used to put his 303 in the freezer before recording cause it sounds better then
where's dr. sine around when you need high advice?